Attorneys for Victims of Child Molestation and Sexual Abuse

Few wrongful acts cause deeper emotional harm than child molestation, sexual abuse, and rape. One way for the victim to get justice is by filing a civil lawsuit against the attacker or the organization that failed to protect you. Sometimes the only way to force organizations to protect children and other people from sexual abuse is by making them pay for the harm that they have caused or allowed to happen.

Child molestation and sexual abuse require a lawyer with extensive experience in handling these kinds of personal injury claims. The lawyers and staff at Bernstein & Maryanoff have the financial resources and experience to help sexual abuse and assault victims pursue the maximum compensation for their injuries. With a principal office in Miami and numerous other offices across Florida, our attorneys represent clients throughout the state.

Child molestation and sexual abuse

Child molestation is often done by a person who has a close relationship or access to the child, such as a priest, rabbi, teacher, boy scout leader, or family friend. This kind of sexual abuse can cause significant emotional injuries that last long into adulthood. When a child is sexually abused or assaulted, there is often an organization that failed to protect the victim. In these cases, the organization can be legally responsible.

Organizations have a responsibility to conduct a proper investigation of an employee’s background to uncover past incidents of child molestation. If an organization is aware of an incident of child molestation, it should take immediate steps to prevent that abuser from continuing to have access to children.

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In some situations, sexual abuse rises to the level of forcible rape. In these cases, evidence will be collected by the police and rape treatment center. In other situations, DNA evidence is not easily recovered. In these cases, the evidence will consist of the testimony of a psychologist, friend, parent, or other person who can document the emotional injury that resulted from the sexual abuse.

Rape and sexual assault

Owners of stores, shopping centers, hotels, or other property have a duty to protect guests from foreseeable criminal acts such as rape. When an area has had past incidents of sexual assaults, the owner of the establishment has a legal duty to take steps to protect guests, such as hiring a security guard, putting in better lighting, installing a video camera, or a fence around the property.

It is not required that a security guard, video camera or other safety device stop a sexual assault from occurring. The presence of a security guard in a parking lot or a video camera in an elevator is intended to deter someone who might want to assault a person at that location. The amount of security required to deter crimes such as sexual assault depends on the history of crime and the layout of the area.

Each case of sexual abuse or assault must be analyzed separately to determine who is responsible for what occurred to you. Our lawyers typically retain experts to provide credible opinions about the careless or negligent conditions that allowed the attack to occur. Even if you think there is no way to recover damages, you should call us to analyze the situation.

DISCLAIMER: This site and any information contained herein are intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. Seek competent legal counsel for advice on any legal matter.